# Gleason (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/gleason/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 25,416 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,395 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 12,148 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.6% (25,007 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡliː.sən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Glasáin (“descendant of Glasán”), a personal name which derives from a diminutive form of glas (“green, blue, grey”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Gleason in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Gleason in the United States.

## People named Gleason

- Jackie Gleason, American comedian and actor (1916–1987)
- Paul Gleason, American actor (1939–2006)
- Mary Pat Gleason, American actress (1950–2020)
- Tim Gleason, American ice hockey player
- Andrew Gleason, American mathematician (1921-2008)
- James Gleason, American actor (1882-1959)
- Henry Gleason, American ecologist (1882-1975)
- Kate Gleason, American engineer and businesswoman (1865–1933)
- Michael Gleason, American rower (1876–1923)
- Russell Gleason, American actor (1907-1945)
- Adda Gleason, American actress (1888-1971)
- Lucile Gleason, American actress, political activist (1888-1947)

and 4 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Glisson, Gleeson, Golson, Glosson, Gilson, Glassman, Gholson, Glessner, Gilligan, Galligan, Glickman, Gullickson.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.